Reviewing Random Films For Fun

December 6, 2014

The House is Black #MovieReview

Film 90 in the “1001 Films to See Before You Die” challenge is 1963’s “The House is Black”. Or to give it’s Iranian title “Khaneh siah ast”. This short Iranian film is only 20 minutes long and looks at a leper colony in Iran. This maybe a short film but I found it very touch to watch. Not because it was dull, but because of how they showed leprosy on screen. It’s as if the director, Forugh Farrokhzad, was trying to tell us that lepers are human too. They maybe missing parts of their bodies but they’re still human. Just like Christina Aguilera sang “You are beautiful no matter what they say, Words can’t bring you down.” Don’t know why I chose that song in particular but I feel like it fits in with the film. My only complaint with the film are the subtitles. This film is in black and white and the subtitles are barely readable against the picture. However, there was one line I found that I found to be very powerful. This was said by a leper in the film, “I was molded in the bowels of the earth.” What do you guys think of that? Also, if you have seen this short film then let me know what you thought of it in the comments. Here is what I have to say while watching 1963’s “The House is Black” or it’s Iranian name “Khaneh siah ast”. By the way, the poster I’m using is wrong but it’s one only poster image I found on Google

Film – The House Is Black (Khaneh siah ast)

Year – 1963

Director – Forugh Farrokhzad

Staring – Forugh Farrokhzad, Ebrahim Golestan, Hossein Mansouri

IMDb Rating – 8/10

My Rating – 7.7/10

Length – 20 min

Genre – Documentary, Short

It’s a woman with one eye

Or a man! I can’t tell!

I can’t read the subtitles

Every one in this school classroom is scared

Nothing like a bit of hobo street art

He has no nose!!!!

And he just like touching walls

Friday is the only day that doesn’t sound the the same as all the others

“I was molded in the bowels of the earth”

Don’t you hate it when your lighter doesn’t work?

Time for a lesson leprosy

Don’t inject things in people’s eyes

This is pretty hard to watch

Why are they placing bags on top of her hands

Everyone in this film loves God

Again, this is hard to watch

GIMME THE BOWL OF FOOD!!!

That is a very squeaky wheelbarrow

Again, I can’t read the subtitles

Why did the picture just go black for a few seconds?

Why is that little girl carrying a shovel

Don’t steal that man’s crutch!!!

We play checkers with rocks

Why are those two men fighting

He’s still touching walls

Where’s that spring noise coming from?

He’s still performing out on the streets

Now what’s happening

This is the worst concert I’ve ever seen

This is the biggest game of volleyball I’ve ever seen

“The evening shadows are spreading” – That’s a new way of saying that it’s nearly night time